Grenade launcher



- Nov. 30, 1943. w. T; MOORE GRENADE LAUNCHER Filed Nov. 21, 1941 Wily T. Maura Patented Nov. 30, 1943 UNITED STATES GRENADE LAUNCHER Wiley T. Moore, United States Army, Laverne, Okla.

' (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as' amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) 3 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for govenmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The present invention relates to an attachment for military rifles or similar weapons to facilitate the launching of grenades.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a modified means for detachably securing the tubular element of the grenade launcher to the rifle barrel which shall be simple in construction, economical to fabricate and positive in functioning.

The specific nature of the invention as well as other objects and advantages thereof will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a grenade launcher embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the grenade launcher shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end view partially in section of the grenade launcher shown in Fig. 1 looking from the left as viewed in the latter figure;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of attaching means for the launcher;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the grenade launcher shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view taken upon the line 6-6 of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 7 is a spring retainer blank used in the construction of a grenade retainer used with the launcher. A

The grenade launcher comprises a tubular element In for receiving the shank l9 of a grenade 20 constructed and arranged in substantially the same manner as the tubular element l of my aforementioned application. As indicated in Fig. 1 the unrelieved portions between the grooves may be beveled as indicated at II to remove sharp corners and for a similar purpose the mouth of the tubular element may be outwardly flared as shown at 12 in Fig. 2, if desired.

Where the rifle or other weapon is of the type having a barrel portion l3 intervening between the upper band I l and front sight l of appreciable length and unobstructed by other elements of the weapon, means generally indicated at It, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, may be employed to secure the tubular element to the barrel.

The means I 6 comprise a generally arcuate shaped member or extension 2| having the arcusired circumferential extent thereof.

ate sections 22, 23, and 2B of rearwardly decreased radii, respectively. The section 22 conforms to the outside radius of the breech portion of tubular element I0 and is secured thereto in any convenient and desirable manner, as by welding. To make the joint between the section 22 and breech portion 25 stronger, these two portions may be complementarily deformed as shown and the section 22 may be of greater arcuate extent than the sections 23 and 24 to embrace the breech portion 25 throughout any de- The intermediate arcuate section is of such radius as to receive the front sight portion adjacent thereto while the rearmost arcuate section 24 receives the barrel portion l3 in snug fitting relation. To securely and detachably afiix the tubular element l0 and its extension 2-l to the barrel the upper edge portions of arcuate section 24 are conformed to receive pintles 26 and 21, respectively, which carry the arcuate shaped hinged leaf 28 and bolt 29, respectively, as Will clearly be seen by reference to Figs. 1 to 3. The free end of leaf 28 is bifurcated to receive the bolt 29 and. may be clamped upon the barrel portion l3 by a wing nut 30 with the muzzle of the barrel engaging the shoulder 40 in the breech end portion of tubular element ill in gas sealed relation.

In the case of rifles of the type having a gas cylinder underlying and projecting to a point closely adjacent the muzzle of the barrel, modified attaching means as shownin Figs. 4 to 6 are employed. In this case an extension 30 having an arcuate portion 31 secured to the breech portion 25 of the tubular element I0 is formed to receive the barrel portion 32 and gas cylinder portion 33 on one side. Rearwardly of the front sight the upper and lower edge portions of the extension 30 may be formed to receive pintles for hinging a leaf 34, conformed to receive the barrel portion 32 and gas cylinder portion 33, and a bolt 35, respectively. The bolt 35 is provided with a winged nut 36 for clamping the extension and leaf to the barrel and gas cylinder.

For retaining the grenade I may use a retainer of the type shown in Figs. 1, 2,, 4, 5 and '7. The retainer is made of resilient blank material 31 formed with retainer fingers 38 having spherically shaped termini 39, The blank 31 is arcuately shaped to be received in one of the grooves in the exterior wall of the tubular element l9.

Having now described a present preferred embodiment of the invention, I claim:

1. In a grenade launcher in combination, a tubular element, an extension of arcuate crosssection, means securing the extension to the tubular element, an arcuate-shaped leaf, means hinging the leaf to said extension remote from its attachment to the tubular element, and means for detachably securing the end portion of said leaf remote from its hinge to said extension.

2. In a grenade launcher in combination, a tubular element, an extension member comprising a plurality of arcuate sections of decreasing radii, respectively, means securing the forwardinost arcuate section to the tubular element, an arcuate leaf, means hinging said leaf to one edge portion of the rearmost arcuate section, and means on the other edge portion of said rearmost arcuate section for detachably securing the free end of said leaf thereto.

3. In a grenade launcher in combination, a tubular element, an extension member having a plurality of arcuate portions adapted to receive a barrel and closely spaced parallel gas cylinder, means securing the extension member to said tubular element, a leaf having arcuate portions complementary to said first named arcuate portions, means hinging one end portion of said leaf to an edge portion of the extension member, and means for detachably securing the free end of said leaf to the extension member.

WILEY T. MOORE. 

